Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist

We do not know why this striking work was never finished. It offers a rare glimpse into the early stages of the painting process. Some areas are defined only in pencil, such as the Virgin Mary’s face, carefully traced from a separate drawing. In contrast, her drapery is sketched freely with a fine brush and ink. Hints of a landscape in the upper left, also in ink, indicate an elaborate background was originally planned before the composition was changed. Finally, the painter started modelling the adults’ hands and the children in thin layers of oil paint.